A Christmas Carol
by The Convergence
Summary: For Joseph: Christmas past and Christmas present...how different two times can be. But, amidst all the change Angie Martinelli has experienced in her life, she couldn't be happier than to spend it with those she loves.


**For:** Joseph

 **Penname:** Joseph Haney

 **Character:** Angie Martinelli

 **Other Characters Used:** Sam Wilson, Peggy Carter

 **Rating:** K+

 **Genre(s):** Romance/Friendship/Fluff

 **Message to your person:** Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy :)

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 **A Convergence Carol**

 _Christmas past and Christmas present...how different two times can be. But, amidst all the change Angie Martinelli has experienced in her life, she couldn't be happier than to spend it with those she loves._

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Bing Crosby hummed through the radio, a faint smell of gingerbread wafted throughout the halls, and tinsel sparkled on each and every bough of evergreen that hung in the house. The entire floor practically screamed Christmas, although perhaps "screamed" wasn't the right word. It was all very welcoming, and suggested a warmth within the home. The sun was setting quickly, even if it was only half-past five; the light of nearly one hundred candles soon glowed instead. Nestled on each windowsill, scattered on end tables and dinner tables and coffee tables and what have you, and hanging from the dining room chandelier...it was as if Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker had come to life. A tall pine stood in the sitting room, decorated with gold and red baubles and topped with an illuminate metal star.

And Angie Martinelli was nowhere near done. Sleeves rolled up to the elbows, the determined young woman rubbed her hands together, basking in the warmth of the eternal heat of the oven—well, a good few hours eternal, perhaps. Gosh, did Mr. Stark have it all. In the months since she and Peggy had come to call this place home, Angie had been looking forward to Christmastime most of all. There was no doubt she liked to go big or go home, and thus came her gusto with which she prepared the house—and herself. As soon as Peggy got back, she intended to keep the festivities coming until the moon hung high in the sky. It was Christmas Eve, after all.

No matter how much she pestered Peggy, she just couldn't convince the girl to come home early. Even after slinging a few playful "Scrooge"s her way, the agent had merely rolled her eyes in that smug way of hers and reassured Angie she would be home by nightfall.

Well, night was falling, and quick. And even though it wasn't Christmas yet, it was a Martinelli tradition to make the Christmas Eve dinner just as big as the Christmas one—or, as had always happened with her grandmothers, it became a competition as to which dinner would be deemed the "biggest."

She felt rather happy with herself. This truly was an Italian Christmas dinner. Capitoni—she'd managed to get the eel fresh—fried this afternoon to make sure it was fresh; panettone with plenty of orange zest, served of course with a choice burgundy wine and the alternative of coffee; capitelli—the noodle dough made fresh last night—that still steamed from the heat of the chicken and pork within; and of course a flank steak she'd managed to barter off some chap in the market this morning—the mozzarella practically oozed out of the stuffed meat. Angie clapped her hands together as she set down the final plate, smiling proudly at her handiwork. A little cookbook full of her mother's favorite recipes sat on the counter near the oven, still open to that darn cannoli recipe. She just hadn't been able to get the shells quite right. Ah well, if they really wanted, a few days from now they could go down to the marketplace and buy some themselves.

Boy, was the table tempting. But Angie knew she had to be patient—so, her toe tapping madly, she stood in the hall near the front door, waiting for Peggy to come home. Her hair was neatly pinned back in curls, and a bright red dress only accentuated the festive atmosphere. She had switched the radio to jazz, which gave the entire house a warm kind of atmosphere—or maybe that was just the heat from the kitchen. Either way, Angie loved it, and she hoped Peggy would, too.

Soon enough, the sound of the door unlocking brought Angie back to her alert state, and a big smile spread across her face. As soon as the door opened, the waitress and aspiring actress let out a cheery shout of "Merry Christmas!"

Was this a surprise for Peggy Carter? No, quite honestly, it wasn't. Peggy had known for weeks that a Martinelli Christmas was anything but simple. And quite honestly, that's how most of her Christmasses up until now had been, anyways. Simple. A few packages of Christmas crackers, a night by the fireplace with some choice holiday favorite—oftentimes a bit of stuffing, or perhaps a properly-made mince pie—and then off to bed. A small evergreen dotted with red baubles, and perhaps a garland on the hearth. But...this? Agent Carter was blown away.

"You did all of this while I was gone?" She asked, the amazement clear in her tone.

"Whaddidya think I'd do all day on Christmas Eve, sit around and listen to Bing Crosby?" Angie replied smartly, taking Peggy's coat from her. "Startin' to snow, is it?" She observed, brushing a few flakes off of the coat.

Peggy was still taking in the scene, admittedly. "Hm?" She started, looking back to her friend before smiling warmly. "Oh, yes. It is. Quite lovely, I would say," she said with a little sigh, looking out the window. "You really didn't have to do this, you know," the agent added, looking back to Angie with a soft gaze, "you know me well enough by now, I don't mind simple holidays."

"Oh, but it's Christmas!" Angie exclaimed, taking Peggy by the shoulders and leading her into the dining room. "You haven't truly lived until you taste my mother's panettone," she said with an eager grin. "Now, come on, English, you're going to have a real Italian Christmas dinner."

-.-.-

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised by anything here, but I think it's starting to snow," Angie said breathlessly as she entered Sam's house, expecting it to look a little festive, but not overly so. She knew him—he was a tactical kind of guy, doing what he needed. She liked that about him. Someone to hold her back when she got...excited, perhaps. But, as the brunette unwrapped the white scarf from around her neck and actually looked at the room, her jaw dropped. "Sam..." She breathed, hanging her coat on the stand nearby, looking around the transformed room with awe.

A red garland draped around the entire room, even weaving its way down the hall and into the kitchen. Tinsel hung from branches of fake pine that were tucked into various places, and the soft glow of candles had replaced the usual fluorescent lights. The soundtrack of White Christmas played softly, although not in the usual surround sound speakers...no, in the corner sat an old record player, although it looked shiny and new. The familiar graininess of the sound she never realized she'd missed sent waves of nostalgia over her, and a little smile spread across her face.

The last time she'd seen his tree, it was mostly bare, save for a strand of white crystal lights. Now, the tree was adorned with glass blown ornaments in different shades of green, red, silver, and gold, with a dainty angel sitting on top. The smell of something cooking made everything feel...familiar. There wasn't a fireplace in the room, but the television had been set to a Yule log station, the soft crackling of simulated fire still sending warmth up her spine. This was all just too perfect.

"Surprise?" Sam said as he entered from the kitchen, dressed in a white Oxford and green sweater, khaki slacks paired with it. He had a smug little grin on his face as he walked beside her, placing his arm gently at her waist. "My Christmases as of late ended up getting way too crazy, what with Tony deciding to plan it and all—I thought a good old fashioned Christmas might do us well."

"Old fashioned?" Angie repeated with an amused little chuckle. "Careful whatcha say there," she added jokingly. The warm and wistful smile returned soon enough, and she leaned her head against him, taking it all in with a big sigh. "It's beautiful."

"Wait 'till you see the dinner," Sam added, seemingly excited to reveal this to her. "Eggnog? Coffee? Wine?" He offered as the two walked towards the kitchen, where a table joined the dining area to the cooking area.

Angie's brow rose curiously, and she looked ahead again, trying to anticipate what he'd prepared. Something about it all smelled...familiar. "Depends..." She hummed, looking at him curiously, knowing something was obviously up. "What kind of wine...?"

"A choice burgundy," He answered almost smugly, finally revealing the dressed table to her.

What she saw before her was enough to make her heart melt. Spread on the table before her was a curious amalgamation of her own kind of Christmas meal, a few things that were quite obviously from Peggy, and...a few dishes she could only assume were traditions of Sam's. "Well would you look at that?" She said with a coy smile, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at him. Oh, was he a smug guy. "You went into dangerous territories here, is that—"

"Your mother's panettone," Sam confirmed. "I asked Peggy for some help," he admitted with a little smug, pouring them each a glass of wine. "She remembered that first Christmas you two had together, thought a taste of home might be good for the holidays."

"And those—"

"Christmas crackers. Another one of Peggy's ideas."

"But then that's got to be—"

"That's actually something I always made back home," Sam said, walking up to the dish of mashed potatoes. "Cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chopped bacon—you'll really want to watch how much you eat, it's a heart attack on a plate, but it's worth it," he winked teasingly.

This was all just...too perfect. Just like the people here, this dinner was a patchwork quilt of times and traditions. And Angie...well, she got to spend the night with someone she cared for very deeply.

Sam was pulling out a chair for her, the both of them still smiling, something that wouldn't wear away for quite some time. "Now, come on, Angie, you're going to have a real Convergence Christmas."

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 **Disclaimer:** The Convergence Roleplay and any themes related to it belong to Rhya and Lena (links on profile). All OC's belong to their respective creators, all Canon Characters belong to their respective franchises and all credit for the fic itself goes to the Santa who wrote it.

 **The Convergence Roleplay:** Hundreds of fictional characters are trapped in a land of fairy tales and left to contemplate what and where home really is, and ask themselves whether they want to go back to their own worlds at all...?

The Convergence is the biggest roleplay on the fanfiction, featuring Supernatural, Harry Potter, MCU, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Percy Jackson, The Vampire Diaries, The Hunger Games, Merlin, OUAT, Divergent, Fox MCU, Star Trek, The Maze Runner, DC, Star Wars, LOTR, House, Live-Action Disney, Twilight, Teen Wolf, Stranger Things and Riverdale.


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